2 Things You Can’t Thrive Without

Girl with a Flower by Cherie Roe DirksenMy mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.” ` Maya Angelou

Who can’t agree with the above statement from the late and great, Ms Angelou?  We all want the full juicy experience that the cornucopia of life can lay tumbling at our feet.

 ROFLOL, Drive and Grace

To have strong, hot passion — in whatever we endeavor to do — is the delectability of living this life.  To be able to laugh at our fragile mortality and existential situations is pure magic and can be one of the most important exercises in our daily routine.  And to be bestowed with style is simply flamboyantly fabulous, darling!  They all make life more livable (and in the case of style, our wardrobes heavier and our wallets lighter).

 But the two things I think are paramount to living the life extraordinaire are to have a limitless supply of love and compassion.

 “Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.” ` Dalai Lama

 I think the Dalai Lama hit the nail on the head with that one.  These two ‘traits’ are our innate tools to a trade-up in human existence.

Most of us want peace on earth and the sense that we are evolving and not devolving. Although on the surface it might look like society is on an insidious degeneration, I feel that where love and compassion exist — even if it is in small packages (after all, we’re going to do this one fabulous soul at a time — one courageous community at a time) — there is hope for reprieve.

Connect, Love and Fertilize — Happy Days!

Love holds our intrinsic ability to connect with and hold space for each other (fleshy or furry) and the planet (and the universe!) — it’s the glue that holds existence together IMHO (soon I’ll be writing these articles in pure acronym — God forbid!).

Compassion fertilizes the soil for love to grow strong (*violin softly playing in the background*).  If we can’t empathize with each other we are doomed.  Truth is not singular and we need to open up to the possibility that not everyone thinks the way we do…duh!  Retaliation is never going to lead us to peace.

The antithesis would be to hold fear for others and even possibly for our planet (that can appear so volatile at any given moment).  Fear often leads us to judgment — the need to make someone right and someone wrong — which inevitably closes down the channel to empathy and understanding.

 Hippy Nonsense!

I know I’m going to get some people shaking their heads and saying that love and compassion ‘aint going to cut it — we need justice in the world!

I’m not arguing the fact that justice may indeed need to be withheld for a community to run smoothly, I’m just pointing out that you can still have love and compassion for a person(s) who has done ‘wrong’.  Instead of condemning someone for life, try to see if you can rather figure out the ‘why’ (compassion) and then treat the root of the problem (with love).

Okay, said my piece now.  Ciao until next week.

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Finding God and a Reason for Being Here

“I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in the sky. I believe that what people call God is something in all of us. I believe that what Jesus and Mohammed and Buddha and all the rest said was right. It’s just that the translations have gone wrong.” — John Lennon

Sunrise Cove Print

A Non-Religious Point of View

I just want to say from the off that I do not subscribe to any religion and am not pushing any particular doctrine in this article, I am merely purveying the teachings of which I am most familiar with.

I have a great respect for all the various religious prophets.

From the time I was a young girl I have found the church and religious doctrine a very hard concept to grapple with. My father insisted I attend church every Sunday up until the age of sixteen, something I resented him for, but now, find to be not only a very synchronistic part of my life but a necessary part of my greater understanding.

Sampling Tasty Tit-Bits from the Melting Pot

Boat at Sunset PrintWhen I hit my teens, I started to sniff around gathering insights to other religions and spiritual practices.  I found that there is actually a common thread amongst them, one sacred truth to be shared – love.

“Rivers, ponds, lakes and streams – they all have different names, but they all contain water. Just as religions do – they all contain truths.”— Muhammad Ali

Although I never liked the power and control the church had over its congregation, I always thought there was some very spiritually sound advice in the Bible.  Some things did have their roots planted in truth, but I also felt that other teachings did not and had the air of control and suppression.

The Anointed One

The parables of Jesus Christ always felt like he had a greater understanding of the intrinsic nature of humanity and the way this world should be experienced – especially when he spoke of our innate divinity – being the sons and daughters of God.

I feel his teachings were deeply rooted in an inborn truth.  The meaning of which translates to a profound spiritual morality that addresses 4 fundamental core emotions and practices for humanity:

  1. Compassion,
  2. understanding,
  3. non-judgment and
  4. love.

If you want to solve all of the world’s problems, start practicing this list.  See divinity in others and you are well on your way to mastery.  I wrote an article a while ago addressing the fear-based myths about God and how to view humanity as you would view your own family and loved ones — you can read about that HERE.

Your Veracity Determines Your Reality

Tree PrintOur truths are buried deep inside, and the whole process of enlightenment is to shine a light on them.  When we do, we bring ourselves into complete clarity, alignment and wholeness.  This is not done by adding to ourselves, it is achieved by going within.  A good place to start is to adopt regular meditational practice (5 Easy Steps to Meditation) and to start exercising trust of your gut instincts.

“The flowering of love is meditation.” — Jiddu Krishnamurti

Jesus was a regular ‘hippy’ spreading the news of love for one another. If you clear all the dogma away around Jesus his message was simple:

‘Unconditional and Unequivocal Love’

We are Divine expressions experiencing the miracle of perceived natural life in the universe.

This life experience is a journey of self-discovery and should be that of joy, love, abundance, peace and wisdom.  You are in the driver’s seat of your life – steer it in the direction you want to head for not in the direction someone else programmed into your GPS.

Your life, your choices.

Source Energy and Experiential Life

The Hindus call the eternal, unchanging infinite that is beyond this universe, Brahman.  They refer to this reality/world as Maya – the personification that the material world is merely an illusion.

“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.” Albert Einstein

Lavender Field PrintThis illusory reality world concept can also be seen in the Matrix Trilogy, as humans are literally ‘plugged in’ to a computer-generated world (God bless the Wachowski siblings for making this movie and giving us such an amazing example of this very difficult theory!).

We seem to have lost the ability to see the forest for the trees.  We go around feeling a pit in our stomachs, that feeling that something is missing.

What is missing is your connection to Source.  The ultimate illusion is that you are lacking it.  You aren’t missing anything, you have just forgotten that it exists – and it exists within you.  Your heart center holds the vibration and frequency of the Creators love, the only true building block to your inevitable life’s manifestations.

Feeling Lost?

Home is where your heart is means that anywhere you are is your home – this could even refer to the planet you now find yourself upon.

You are never alone, because where you are, there is God.  Yearning to be somewhere or to be someone else is a self-defeating and self-destructive rehearsal.  Make peace with where you are, who you are and when you are and you will find your place in this world theatre – where you are the writer, director and actor of your very own stage production.

You are the Drop, so Own the Ocean!

We are all Creators living out our creation, we seem to have forgotten that. The ripples, that were born of the one drop, changed their size, and eventually went so far out into the ocean they forgot they were the ocean to begin with – the Source.

Enjoy your life and make your home at the core of your being.

“Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”― Anonymous, Holy Bible: King James Version

Believe in your heart quotation 250x244 Finding God and a Reason for Being Here

Original article written by Cherie Roe Dirksen for Lightworkers World

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7 Ways to Tame the Ego and Become Instantly Likeable

 “If you want to reach a state of bliss, then go beyond your ego and the 
internal dialogue. Make a decision to relinquish the need to control, the need 
to be approved, and the need to judge.” ~ Deepak Chopra

What is the Ego?

I remember having a conversation with someone once, we were talking about Eckhart Tolle and the ego identification.  The lady I was talking to piped up and said, ‘well, I don’t have an ego’.

“Do you get that an ego is the identification you have with your self and who you are, what you do and how others perceive you?”

Let me make this perfectly clear:  Everybody has an ego!  Here is the dictionary definition of this fruity little word:

e·go – 

  1. the “I” or self of any person; a person as thinking, feeling, and willing, and distinguishing itself from the selves of others and from objects of its thought.
  2. the part of you that reacts to the outside world and thus mediates between the primitive drives of the id and the demands of the social and physical environment.
  3. egotism; conceit; self-importance.
  4. self-esteem or self-image; feelings.
  5. the enduring and conscious element that knows experience.

Aligning with Your Awareness of Ego

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Are you a prancing show-pony or a shrinking violet?  Either one has an imbalanced sense of self.

Now that we have cleared up the myth of the ego being only a no. 3 definition of the strutting peacock itching to get recognition and praise, we can move on to ways of coping with your ego.

“Ego is the biggest enemy of humans” ~ Rig Veda

Do you get that an ego is the identification you have with your self and who you are, what you do and how others perceive you?

So even someone who is timid and an introvert has a problem with ego identification.  It is just in reverse but the principle remains.  When you feel yourself either inferior or superior to others — you have ego issues.

Disidentifying With the Ego

The ego is an inseparable part of you, it is not the enemy.  It is how you let your ego use you that can be detrimental to the quality of your life.

“Masters know when to speak, when to be silent and when their words will be like farting against thunder.”

I am, in no way, saying that the ego needs suppression or containment, just proper management and understanding — it’s as simple as that.  Your ego identification is an integral part of you, and like the universal concept that we are both yin and yang/light and dark, you need it.  You are a unique individual with irrevocable personality traits in your toolkit — this is the part of ego that can be embraced.  The key is to see this beautiful quality in every other soul.

Here is the pitfall of the ego — it wants to be separate from the whole, better than the rest and put itself somewhere untouchable.  This is the downfall of our current society, it is a separatist theory that pits people against each other and keeps them in an ‘us against them’ mental construct.

This is the dangerous element of the ego — the total takeover and manipulation of the authentic self.  Unfortunately, most of our worlds cultures are primarily caught up in the subconscious identification of the ego.

So how can you disconnect and tame your ego?

Let’s Spring Clean this Concept

There are 7 fundamental principles to keeping your ego in check.  Let’s explore them now:

  • Water Off a Ducks Back — do not take things
    personally.  When you do, you are subconsciously (or consciously) in agreement with whatever you have taken offense at.  This can leave you in constant need for validation from external sources which is the need of the ego.  Be at peace with what other people think of you, even if it is not congruent with how you see yourself.  You are never going to have universal appeal, there will always be someone out there who doesn’t like you — get over it now and save yourself any future distress.  Acceptance of what is is key.  For more about this in-depth trait, click here: Do You Take Things Personally?
  • Think Before You Speak — honour the power of your words and you will honour not only others but your sense of self.  Choose your words wisely.  You will be in control instead of having a hurtful motor-mouth.  People will pick up on this and return it in kind.  Practicing the integrity of your words will result in a better quality of life for yourself and those with whom you interact.
  • Hold Your Tongue — the ego loves to make itself right.  A common trap to fall into is trying to make someone else see that you are right. Really?  Is it that important for you to force someone to see life through your eyes and perceptions?
    No, that is your ego trying to justify itself.  Masters know when to speak, when to be silent and when their words will be like farting against thunder.  Control over your mouth is like having control over your sphincter muscle at a dinner party.  Exercise it and you will notice how easy it becomes to have total control of outbursts or having to explain yourself constantly. The best book I ever read about learning to be impeccable with your words is ‘The Four Agreements’ by Don Miguel Ruiz (a must have for your spiritual library).
  • Don’t Buy into the Labels — get in touch with who you really are and reconnect
    to your source or core being.  Look past the labels and identifications that society plasters you with.  You are not your profession, you are not the role you play in your family or community.  You are a special individual spark of the Divine that is nameless and authentic.  Get to grips with that through meditation (click here for an article about 5 Easy Steps to Meditating).
  • Quit Comparisons — learn to be comfortable in your own skin.  There is no-one in the world like you — from your individual fingerprints to all the exclusive experiences your soul has accumulated.  Comparing yourself to others is another trick of the ego — don’t fall for it.  Fall in love with yourself (read an article about this HERE).
  • Count Your Blessings — instead of complaining about all the things that are wrong with your physical appearance and situation, try to see all the positive
    aspects of your life and body.
  • See Divinity En-Masse — don’t try to elevate yourself above or bury yourself below others.  You are part of a collective consciousness of Divine souls here on Earth.  See the divinity in yourself and see it in others too.  The ego won’t be able to do this.  If you are finding resistance, you need to go into why you can’t accept that your fellow human beings are just as much a part of God as you are.  To see the internal beauty in another will put you on a level playing field instead of comparing yourself and others and passing dangerous judgments.

Why Will This Guarantee My Success?

How to Train Your Dragon of an Ego by Cherie Roe Dirksen

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When you tame the ego, you are paving the way for smooth and easy life flow.  You relinquish judgments, comparisons and the need to be or feel superior.  This is a frequency that you will project and I guarantee that people will be attracted to you.  People standing in their truth and integrity are like moths to a flame — be it in your personal or professional life.

Your ego won’t go away but you can have control over it instead of it running amuck with you.

When you do have control, you will never feel the need for superiority nor inferiority to any one else.  You simply are — a state of grace, least resistance and an inner knowing of peace.  Now isn’t that something worth going after?

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CAUTION: God’s Gonna Kick Your Ass!

The Prodigal Son

We all know the biblical parable of the Prodigal Son (if you don’t click here).

Long story really short:  Two sons are given their inheritance before the father dies.  One son does the ‘right’ thing and works for his father, the other son squanders his lot and comes crawling back to the father.  The father takes him in as if nothing has happened and celebrates (much to the discontent of the other brother who feels it isn’t fair).

Well, is that fair?

I think so…

God’s Gift of Freewill

This is a great analogy for God.  I don’t think God’s going to punish anybody for taking a detour on the path, or even if you completely stray off this path.

“I don’t think God is going to kick anyone’s butt in heaven for missed opportunity or bad behaviour.”

God gives all of us many gifts, whether they be in the form of talents, love or friendships, etc.  What we do with them is up to us but I don’t think He is going to be upset if we don’t use them.

I don’t think God is going to kick anyone’s butt in heaven for missed opportunity or bad behaviour.  God gave us freewill and this is the one gift we do use whether it is deemed ‘good’ or ‘bad’.

“Our choice is our gift to ourselves, we bring to our own table that which we experience.  “

We have this blessed gift of choice.  We will be our own judges and our misgivings will be our remorses.  God is that parent who does not judge, only accepts what is.

Please read my blog Does God Love Us Unconditionally? HERE

Choices

Our choice is our gift to ourselves, we bring to our own table that which we experience.

Nobody can tell you what to do but you can take advice.

My advice is this:  Take responsibility for your life.  If you feel you are in alignment with your integrity then that is great!  Whether someone else is not in alignment and you notice this, it is none of your business unless you are asked by that person for help.

You should not judge them for the path they are taking.  You don’t know where that path may inevitably lead them.  That is why you should not interfere.  If you are asked for assistance by them, then that soul has made a choice.  That is why you may help when you are asked to help.

Take Responsibility

In taking responsibility for your life, as in the honourable son from the Prodigal Son parable, you are not being a burden on anyone else.  This feels like the noble thing to do, doesn’t it?

“We need to stop comparing ourselves to others and focus purely on how harmonized we are with our purpose.”

It doesn’t really matter if your sibling is doing the opposite to you in their life and your parent still welcomes them back with open arms.  The father in this parable was right and his son should have rather rejoiced to have his brother back instead of feeling hard done by because all his efforts weren’t rewarded.  I think his reward far outweighs the ‘lost’ son in that he got to spend more valuable time with his father.  The other brother may regret this for the rest of his life.

We need to stop comparing ourselves to others and focus purely on how harmonized we are with our purpose.  Replace judgment with compassion and understanding.

Have you ever felt resentment?  Are you still feeling that way?  Can you perhaps choose to see things differently now?

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